Sacrifice

Chapter Ten

Present Day 

Newt, Claire, Thomas and Minho gathered in the infirmary where the girl was sleeping. Clint and Jeff settled her into one of the cots, and as far as they could tell, she was alive. 

"What is it, Jeff, why won't she wake up?" Newt asked. 

"Hey man, I don't know," Jeff replied. "I got my job the same way you did." 

Newt clutched the note the girl came with in his hand. 

"Do you know her?" he asked Thomas. 

Thomas shook his head. 

"Really, cause she seemed to know you." 

"Hey, I know about as much as you guys do," Thomas insisted. "I have no idea who this girl is, or why she might know me." 

Even as he said the words, Thomas felt like he was lying. He had no memories from before waking up in the Box. All he had were dreams, and the dark-haired girl from his dreams was now laying in a cot right in front of him. 

"I think we have bigger problems," Jeff cut in. "Box isn't coming back up, how long do you think we can last?" 

There was a heavy moment of silence. For three years the Gladers had prided themselves in being self-sufficient. They built everything they had themselves, grown their own food. But they never talked about how much they truly relied on the Box's monthly supplies. Without those they would have no more livestock or medical supplies. How long would they last? How soon before starvation became a serious threat? 

Claire sat down on the stool next to the sleeping girl. She realized that the whole situation with the Box was serious, but her mind was also on other things. She started feeling something that she'd done her best to suppress for a long time: loneliness. 

Claire loved the Gladers, after all they were practically family. But they were all guys. As welcoming as they were, Claire so often felt like the odd one out. There was never another girl around that she could connect with. 

Claire really wanted this girl to wake up, she could have the answers they need. But Claire would be lying if that was the only reason. 

"Well, I'm not gonna get any answers by standing here," Thomas said. "I'm going back out there." 

He stormed out of the infirmary, and Minho went after him. 

"Hey!" Minho called. "Thomas, hey!" 

"What, Minho?" 

"Do you have a death wish? You just got out and now you want back in?" 

"Newt said that no one's ever seen a Griever and lived to tell about it, right?" Thomas said. "Minho, now we have one. You're telling me you're not even a little bit curious." 

"Not really, no." 

Thomas took a step to walk away, fed up with the whole situation. Minho stopped him. 

"So what's the plan?" Minho asked. "You gonna go out there and dissect that thing by yourself?" 

"I will if I have to." 

"You know half my Runners quit this morning. After Alby got Stung they're not in a hurry to get back out there, why are you?" 

"I think it's time we find out what we're really up against." 

Minho paused a moment to consider. "Alright, but you're not going back out there alone. Meet me in the woods in half an hour." 

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